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Bengals Booth Podcast: Fixing A Hole · Bengals Booth Podcast

0:03
Speaker 1: Hi, get everybody. I'm Dan Horde and thanks for downloading
0:06
Speaker 1: the Bengals Booth podcast. The I'm fixing a hole where
0:11
Speaker 1: the rain gets. In addition, as I discuss the Bengals
0:15
Speaker 1: free agent fixes with the team's Director of Player Personnel
0:19
Speaker 1: Duke Tobin, and then it's a wide ranging conversation with
0:23
Speaker 1: Bengals dot Com editor Jeff Butch Hobson on what the
0:26
Speaker 1: Bengals have done so far and what they still might do.
0:30
Speaker 1: The Bengals Booth Podcast is presented by Ultimate Bengals. Download
0:35
Speaker 1: Ultimate Bengals ahead of the twenty twenty two season. It's
0:38
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0:43
Speaker 1: Get it now on the App Store and Google Play.
0:46
Speaker 1: And here's a quick reminder that you can have the
0:49
Speaker 1: latest edition of this podcast delivered right to your phone, tablet,
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Speaker 1: or computer by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. It's
0:57
Speaker 1: the greatest thing since Tris Gets. By now, you've probably
1:02
Speaker 1: heard the story about Joe Burrow having some of the
1:04
Speaker 1: Bengals free agent acquisitions over to his house after dinner
1:08
Speaker 1: last week and offering up some crackers and cupcakes. I'm
1:13
Speaker 1: going to go out on a limb and guess that
1:15
Speaker 1: the crackers were trist gits. For my money, the humble trisket,
1:20
Speaker 1: made largely from three ingredients wheat, oil, and salt, is
1:24
Speaker 1: the perfect snack for a very specific set of circumstances.
1:29
Speaker 1: Here goes, you're hungry, you're looking for something to nosh on,
1:33
Speaker 1: and as you start to look through the cupboard, you
1:36
Speaker 1: find that box of triskets that you totally forgot about.
1:39
Speaker 1: Sure they're not as tasty as potato chips, doritos, tostitos,
1:44
Speaker 1: or fritos, but a few tris gets always gets the
1:47
Speaker 1: job done, whether you need a snack or need to
1:51
Speaker 1: impress free agent offensive linemen. Now, let's get to this
1:57
Speaker 1: week's guests. On Thursday, nearly one hundred NFL GMS, coaches
2:02
Speaker 1: and scouts attended Pro Day at the University of Cincinnati.
2:06
Speaker 1: The Bearcats could have as many as eight players drafted
2:09
Speaker 1: this year, and cornerback a Mad Sauce Gardner is expected
2:13
Speaker 1: to go in the first half of the first round.
2:16
Speaker 1: The Bengals had several staff members on hand, including head
2:20
Speaker 1: coach Zach Taylor and Director of player Personnel Duke Tobin.
2:24
Speaker 1: I spoke to Duke when Pro Day was finished, Duke,
2:28
Speaker 1: how would you describe what the Bengals had been able
2:30
Speaker 1: to get done in free agency so far? Well, Um, well,
2:34
Speaker 1: we planned our work and we worked our plan, and
2:37
Speaker 1: you never know exactly how that's going to come together.
2:39
Speaker 1: In free agency. It's there's a lot of moving pieces.
2:43
Speaker 1: But we were able to secure some guys that we
2:45
Speaker 1: were high on that we felt fit needs for us
2:48
Speaker 1: and and fit our culture, you know, number one. And
2:54
Speaker 1: so we're happy. We're pleased with the way it's gone
2:56
Speaker 1: so far, and you know, we've got our eyes on
2:59
Speaker 1: the draft. Still got some new guys that will be
3:01
Speaker 1: coming in via the draft, so we're excited. It's hard
3:04
Speaker 1: to keep every team as is, but if you're staying
3:08
Speaker 1: the same, you're you're getting worse, and so you've got
3:11
Speaker 1: to continually try to get better. And we think the
3:14
Speaker 1: guys that we're bringing in are going to help us
3:16
Speaker 1: do that. I'm paraphrasing Zach Taylor from a news conference
3:20
Speaker 1: that he did recently the same day as Lal Collins,
3:23
Speaker 1: but he said going into free agency, he was kind
3:26
Speaker 1: of hoping you would be able to add two offensive
3:28
Speaker 1: line starters and was pleasantly surprised it turned out to
3:32
Speaker 1: be three. Did you feel the same way. Well, I mean,
3:36
Speaker 1: we were looking at a lot of a lot of
3:37
Speaker 1: positions and the opportunities came there, which was important to
3:42
Speaker 1: us because we wanted to make headway there and we
3:45
Speaker 1: wanted to bring in some guys that were proven, guys
3:47
Speaker 1: that were leaders, guys that you know, are consistent players
3:50
Speaker 1: for us. We think that will benefit our quarterback play
3:54
Speaker 1: for sure. And and yeah, it's um, you know, you
3:59
Speaker 1: never know exactly how it's going to work out. You
4:01
Speaker 1: never know what the prices are going to be, and
4:02
Speaker 1: who's going to have interest in you, and and you
4:04
Speaker 1: know who's going to go elsewhere, and you just keep grinding.
4:08
Speaker 1: It's a it's a long ten days or so, but
4:11
Speaker 1: the first few days are are very involved to get
4:16
Speaker 1: those deals in place. And our guys did a great job,
4:19
Speaker 1: you know, getting a set up to do that. Frank
4:21
Speaker 1: Pollock has made the term glass eaters popular all of
4:24
Speaker 1: a sudden these days from using that expression at the combine.
4:28
Speaker 1: How much did these guys fit Frank Pollock his personality
4:32
Speaker 1: and the style of play. Yeah, I think they did obviously. Um,
4:37
Speaker 1: you know, if we're gonna pay like I said at
4:40
Speaker 1: the combine, if you're going to pay somebody a lot
4:43
Speaker 1: of money, you want to make sure you know what
4:44
Speaker 1: you're getting. In with these three guys, we know what
4:47
Speaker 1: we're getting and you know they're there are guys that
4:52
Speaker 1: have shown that that number one, they're good teammates. Number Two,
4:57
Speaker 1: they can produce on the field, and so we're happy
5:01
Speaker 1: that it came together. We're chatting with Duke Tobin. Let
5:04
Speaker 1: me get a thumbnail sketch on those offensive lineman, beginning
5:07
Speaker 1: with Ted Carris. He's twenty nine, just turned twenty nine.
5:10
Speaker 1: He's got two Super Bowl rings penciled into place center
5:13
Speaker 1: for the Bengals. He's obviously played center in both guard
5:16
Speaker 1: positions in his NFL career. You know, versatile, It can
5:19
Speaker 1: do a lot of different things. We think he's a
5:21
Speaker 1: good leader of men. We believe that he can be
5:25
Speaker 1: a very quality center and meshwell with Joe. We believe
5:30
Speaker 1: he sees the game very well, which a center has
5:32
Speaker 1: to do. And we believe he's able to direct the
5:37
Speaker 1: traffic and when you're in the middle of the offensive line,
5:40
Speaker 1: you got to be able to do that. And then
5:42
Speaker 1: his place speaks for itself. It's very consistent, down in
5:44
Speaker 1: and down out. We think he's strong, we think he's tough.
5:47
Speaker 1: We think he can make all the blocks that we're
5:49
Speaker 1: going to require him to make. Alex Cappa will be
5:52
Speaker 1: your right guard. Twenty seven years old, a Super Bowl
5:54
Speaker 1: ring with a Bucks two years ago. Yeah, young, in
5:57
Speaker 1: the prime of his career and still got room to
6:00
Speaker 1: get better. I love his temperament when he plays again,
6:04
Speaker 1: A guy that that showed all the traits that we
6:06
Speaker 1: want in a starting guard and the ability to make
6:10
Speaker 1: all the blocks, run the scheme that we're going to run,
6:13
Speaker 1: and then you know, hold the pocket firm, which is
6:15
Speaker 1: which is very important for for what we're doing. And
6:18
Speaker 1: U you know, again we're excited to have him. I
6:21
Speaker 1: think he's still got some improvement left to do and
6:23
Speaker 1: he's pretty darn good player right now. Lal Collins turns
6:27
Speaker 1: twenty nine in July. It's pretty rare to get a
6:30
Speaker 1: premier offensive tackle and free agency who obviously is making
6:33
Speaker 1: a lot of money, but not break the bank money. Yeah,
6:38
Speaker 1: you know, it came together, was a great fit for him,
6:40
Speaker 1: It was a great fit for us. Um you know,
6:42
Speaker 1: he the last couple of years, you know, had some
6:45
Speaker 1: challenges you know, and and we really feel like he's
6:48
Speaker 1: going to get back to play in football the way
6:50
Speaker 1: that he's used to play in it, and um and
6:53
Speaker 1: stay on the field. You know, there was there was
6:55
Speaker 1: a lot of moving pieces getting that put together, but
6:59
Speaker 1: we think we got to put together in a way
7:00
Speaker 1: that's that's good for both the Cincinnati Bengals and Lyle Collins.
7:04
Speaker 1: And so we're excited to have him. He's a premier
7:08
Speaker 1: right tackle and he can shut down that side of
7:10
Speaker 1: the field and look forward to seeing him do it.
7:13
Speaker 1: You've added a twenty eight year old tight end and
7:15
Speaker 1: Hayden Hurst, former first round draft picked by the Ravens.
7:18
Speaker 1: What are you getting in Hayden Hurst? You know, we
7:20
Speaker 1: think in his new role being being the main receiving
7:23
Speaker 1: tight end here, he'll have a chance to really jump
7:26
Speaker 1: in production. And um. You know, he's he's athletic, he's tough,
7:31
Speaker 1: he's he can he can perform all the things you
7:33
Speaker 1: want in a run game. But then we think he's
7:35
Speaker 1: going to be a pretty good matchup problem for us.
7:37
Speaker 1: He's got great hands and he's he's about the right things.
7:40
Speaker 1: You know, it was very tough losing CJ. And um.
7:44
Speaker 1: That's just the nature of of our game right now.
7:47
Speaker 1: Sometimes you lose really important guys that guys that you
7:50
Speaker 1: have a lot of love for. But we think we
7:53
Speaker 1: did a good job and going out and finding a
7:55
Speaker 1: guy that can fill that role for us. CJ got
7:58
Speaker 1: three years, twenty four million dollars and the Jets, And
8:00
Speaker 1: it seems like a lot of the tight ends on
8:02
Speaker 1: the free agent market did very well financially. Was that
8:05
Speaker 1: market a little bit more generous than you thought it
8:07
Speaker 1: would be? Maybe? I think, you know, some of the
8:11
Speaker 1: very top guys got franchised, and so that helped the
8:13
Speaker 1: guys that were still hitting free agency a little bit.
8:16
Speaker 1: And then you never know how free agency is gonna go.
8:19
Speaker 1: It just takes one team to see the need and
8:22
Speaker 1: pay what they feel they need to pay to get them.
8:24
Speaker 1: And you know, we tried to compete with CJ. And
8:28
Speaker 1: I think we did, but you know, everybody makes decisions,
8:32
Speaker 1: and you know, I wish him well. He's he's one
8:34
Speaker 1: of my favorite all time guys. We're chatting with Duke Tobin.
8:37
Speaker 1: It you sees pro Day did the addition of three
8:40
Speaker 1: starting offensive lineman quote unquote open up the draft and
8:44
Speaker 1: make it less likely that you would need to target
8:47
Speaker 1: an offensive lineman early. I think that's, you know, our
8:51
Speaker 1: philosophy as the draft is always open because when you're
8:54
Speaker 1: picking thirty first, you don't know exactly who's going to
8:57
Speaker 1: get down there, and you know you're going to have
8:58
Speaker 1: a pretty pretty big pool of guys that you like,
9:02
Speaker 1: and you want to take a guy that's worth the
9:04
Speaker 1: pick for sure, not just a position. So yeah, the
9:09
Speaker 1: more you can fill in on your team, the better
9:11
Speaker 1: you feel. And we've filled in on our team and
9:13
Speaker 1: feel really good about what we have in the building
9:15
Speaker 1: right now. But we're going to stay open to any
9:18
Speaker 1: opportunities to come to us at thirty one, and we
9:20
Speaker 1: just don't know what those are, but we'll be ready
9:22
Speaker 1: for any of them. As I mentioned, we're chatting at
9:25
Speaker 1: UC's pro day. Eight of these guys were at the
9:27
Speaker 1: NFL scouting combine. Six were invited to the Senior Bowl.
9:31
Speaker 1: Are you amazed by what Luke Fickle has been able
9:33
Speaker 1: to do and developing NFL talent at the University of Cincinnati.
9:36
Speaker 1: It's been fantastic. I'm not amazed because I know what
9:38
Speaker 1: Luke's all about, and I know what kind of coach
9:41
Speaker 1: he is and what kind of recruiter he is and
9:44
Speaker 1: how players respond to him. So I wouldn't call myself
9:47
Speaker 1: a maze, but it's been great for the city because
9:49
Speaker 1: you know, it's it's just something to rally around and
9:53
Speaker 1: and what a great program and what a great group
9:55
Speaker 1: of guys. And you know, I know he'll reload. This
9:58
Speaker 1: is a tough hit for him. He's got his own
10:00
Speaker 1: version of free agency where he can go out into
10:02
Speaker 1: the portal now and perform some free agent magic. Maybe too,
10:07
Speaker 1: but there's a changing landscape in the college football scene
10:11
Speaker 1: with the NIL money and the transfer portal, and so
10:14
Speaker 1: there's a lot of work to be done, and I
10:16
Speaker 1: know he's up to it. And I'm looking forward to
10:18
Speaker 1: seeing his team next year because they're fun to watch.
10:21
Speaker 1: Last thing, I'll let you go. Russell Wilson, Deshaun Watson,
10:24
Speaker 1: and Matt Ryan are all coming to the AFC from
10:27
Speaker 1: the NFC. Brandon Bean from the Bills recently said he's
10:30
Speaker 1: calling for realignment because there's so much talent now in
10:33
Speaker 1: the AFC. But how much more difficult is it getting
10:36
Speaker 1: to be the team that emerges from this conference and
10:39
Speaker 1: ultimately goes to the Super Bowl. Oh, I know from
10:41
Speaker 1: experience It wasn't easy last year, so it's it's only
10:43
Speaker 1: getting more difficult, and we'll be up for the channel challenge.
10:47
Speaker 1: We're a team that people recognize now and recognize what
10:52
Speaker 1: we have. And again, if you're staying the same, you're
10:55
Speaker 1: getting worse. And so you know, we're trying to improve
10:59
Speaker 1: and make games as well. But yeah, realignment doesn't sound
11:03
Speaker 1: so bad right now. Thank you for the time. I
11:05
Speaker 1: always appreciate it, you bet. The Bengals Booth podcast is
11:09
Speaker 1: presented by Ultimate Bengals, the free to play fantasy football game.
11:13
Speaker 1: This past season, Ultimate Bengals awarded a weekly winner during
11:17
Speaker 1: the course of the year with tickets, autograph merchandise, and
11:20
Speaker 1: money can't buy experiences all up for grabs. Find Ultimate
11:24
Speaker 1: Bengals in the app Store and Google Play. Up Next
11:28
Speaker 1: Bengals dot Com editor Jeff Hobson, which I can serve you,
11:33
Speaker 1: my resident Bengals historian. So here's my first question today.
11:37
Speaker 1: Do you think the Bengals have ever addressed their offseason
11:41
Speaker 1: needs this decisively and effectively? Forty that's a kind way
11:46
Speaker 1: of saying I'm an old bat, but I appreciate you.
11:50
Speaker 1: I appreciate that, But I do you know what I
11:52
Speaker 1: did they have. I do think there have been historical comparisons.
11:58
Speaker 1: I go back to two thousand and three and Marvin's
12:01
Speaker 1: first first season here, and you know, he attacked locker
12:05
Speaker 1: room culture and defense and had to find some starters.
12:10
Speaker 1: So that's the class that gave you Kevin Haddie, John Thornton, Torry, James,
12:15
Speaker 1: Reggie Kelly. You know, within about forty eight hours, thirty
12:18
Speaker 1: six hours. That was a pretty good haul, you know.
12:21
Speaker 1: And then they did some of that sporadically in that
12:24
Speaker 1: in the first couple of years of Marvin and then
12:26
Speaker 1: in twenty eleven, and it might have been spurred by
12:29
Speaker 1: the lockout because they couldn't do anything. As you remember,
12:33
Speaker 1: they couldn't do anything from about February until the camps
12:37
Speaker 1: opened in July, so they had to go fast and
12:40
Speaker 1: that of course then they had to go quick and
12:43
Speaker 1: they got Nick Clements, Thomas Howard, Many Lawson, which was
12:48
Speaker 1: a pretty good you know, that was a pretty good
12:49
Speaker 1: run there to get that defense together. So there have
12:54
Speaker 1: been there have been I think moments like this, but
12:59
Speaker 1: I think back to bag and hitting their needs because
13:03
Speaker 1: at oh three they needed everything and they got everything.
13:06
Speaker 1: But in this one, a very specific need and they
13:09
Speaker 1: went out and then not only did they get it,
13:10
Speaker 1: I think they got the three guys they probably if
13:13
Speaker 1: you talked to them privately, those were the guys. Those
13:15
Speaker 1: are the three guys they could envision being here, and
13:18
Speaker 1: they did it, and they did it quickly, and they
13:21
Speaker 1: not only that, but they lost a tight end and
13:23
Speaker 1: then pivoted and got a guy who's you know, at
13:26
Speaker 1: least numbers wise, is a pretty good match for Siege
13:29
Speaker 1: at US on US. So I would say there happened
13:32
Speaker 1: moments three eleven. But if you put twenty one on
13:36
Speaker 1: top of if you put twenty two on top of
13:39
Speaker 1: twenty one on top of twenty, no, three years stretch
13:43
Speaker 1: as has there ever been. You know, you got twenty
13:46
Speaker 1: twenty one, you had about you get, you get, you
13:48
Speaker 1: pulled four or five Super Bowl starters and you know,
13:53
Speaker 1: so you look at the opening day lineup for twenty
13:56
Speaker 1: twenty two and about probably about half are going to
13:59
Speaker 1: be free agents. They've been one of the biggest spenders
14:02
Speaker 1: in the NFL and free agency over the last three years.
14:05
Speaker 1: At what point is the national media going to stop
14:08
Speaker 1: calling Cincinnati cheap? Yeah? You know what forty If they
14:12
Speaker 1: haven't done it now. I don't know if they're going
14:15
Speaker 1: to because they went to the super Bowl, and they
14:19
Speaker 1: went to the super Bowl probably because if you want
14:21
Speaker 1: to say the number one reason they went to the
14:23
Speaker 1: super Bowl, well besides Borrow obviously, but their defense and
14:27
Speaker 1: their defense was constructed in twenty twenty and twenty twenty
14:30
Speaker 1: one and combine, they committed about a quarter of a
14:35
Speaker 1: billion dollars total money, and they went to the Super Bowl.
14:38
Speaker 1: And if it then to still call them cheap, then
14:41
Speaker 1: I I don't know how you get. I don't know
14:43
Speaker 1: how you get. You know, I guess the only way
14:44
Speaker 1: you can do it is you went to Super Bowl
14:47
Speaker 1: and you got a parade and Borrow tries to throw
14:50
Speaker 1: the trophy to Hayden Hurst. I guess I mean is that.
14:53
Speaker 1: I guess that's I guess that's the only way it's
14:55
Speaker 1: gonna stop. Hopefully you'll not be from one boat to
14:57
Speaker 1: the other like Tom Brady. You know. The other amusing
15:01
Speaker 1: thing to me is, you know, not only do they
15:02
Speaker 1: still get called cheap by some, but they get criticized
15:06
Speaker 1: for signing guys to smart contracts. Now that makes no
15:10
Speaker 1: sense whatsoever when you can convince a really good player
15:14
Speaker 1: top fifteen at his position. Is all three of those
15:16
Speaker 1: offensive linemen are graded by Pro Football Focus to sign
15:20
Speaker 1: what can probably consider a team friendly deal that to
15:24
Speaker 1: me says your front office is smart and doing a
15:27
Speaker 1: great job, not that you're somehow cheap, No, right, I
15:31
Speaker 1: mean it also tells you get a pretty good club
15:33
Speaker 1: because people are willing to do that. And and the
15:36
Speaker 1: other thing, Cordy, I get a laugh about is they
15:38
Speaker 1: called they talk about they're out of date. They're out
15:45
Speaker 1: of date approach to guaranteed money. It's out of date
15:51
Speaker 1: because they don't guarantee beyond the first year. And you know,
15:56
Speaker 1: is it is it out of date or is it smart? Uh?
16:00
Speaker 1: You know, particularly when you have a I think they've
16:03
Speaker 1: found other ways to do it, by the way roster
16:05
Speaker 1: bonuses and such. But they have found ways to get,
16:09
Speaker 1: you know, to to do that without getting in trouble
16:11
Speaker 1: with guaranteed money. And you know, you know, I can't
16:15
Speaker 1: stress enough the respecter of the Joe, I shouldn't call
16:18
Speaker 1: it a respective. It will be a happy moment to
16:20
Speaker 1: get Joe Burrow. Joe Burrow will become to probably the
16:23
Speaker 1: richest football player who ever played. You'll probably have that
16:26
Speaker 1: title for about eight minutes. But it's gonna happen, and
16:31
Speaker 1: you gotta and you gotta buck you know, and you
16:32
Speaker 1: gotta buckle down, and you know, you gotta just gotta.
16:36
Speaker 1: That might be when they stop saying that they're cheap
16:38
Speaker 1: for me, because I would imagine at some point they'll
16:41
Speaker 1: probably have to get past that guaranteed money thing with Burrow.
16:44
Speaker 1: But I'm amazed that the you know, calling it out
16:49
Speaker 1: of date. Is it out of date or is it
16:50
Speaker 1: or is it or is it effective? To me? It's
16:52
Speaker 1: to me it's effective because it's what you said. They
16:55
Speaker 1: were able to get. These guys are basically team friendly
16:57
Speaker 1: deals make their team much better and not blow up
17:00
Speaker 1: the camp. You know, they haven't had to deal their
17:02
Speaker 1: best player, which teams have done. You know, they haven't
17:07
Speaker 1: had to you know, cut you know, a right tackle
17:10
Speaker 1: like the Cowboys had to do. So I just you know,
17:13
Speaker 1: I but you know, I get and they went to
17:17
Speaker 1: the super Bowl. So we went to the super Bowl
17:19
Speaker 1: with this philosophy. So you know, they got to do
17:22
Speaker 1: with something right, no question. So all three of these
17:26
Speaker 1: guys are in their twenties, so they get them in
17:28
Speaker 1: their prime or close to it. None of them is
17:31
Speaker 1: breaking the bank. If you add up to three in
17:33
Speaker 1: terms of their per year salary, it's twenty one point
17:37
Speaker 1: seven five mill There are tackles making about that much.
17:42
Speaker 1: I mean, Tron Armstead got fifteen million a year this year,
17:47
Speaker 1: so that wasn't crazy money for a tackle. Brandon Schurf
17:50
Speaker 1: got sixteen point five million dollars a year, and the
17:53
Speaker 1: combination inside of Kappa and Carris gets far less than
17:58
Speaker 1: that for what the Jags are going to play pay
18:00
Speaker 1: Brandon Shurff, who's a great player but has been injury
18:02
Speaker 1: prone and is in his thirties. Yeah, I mean it's
18:05
Speaker 1: it's kind of the same philosophy they you with the
18:07
Speaker 1: Woozier and Hilton uh in the weight last year and
18:10
Speaker 1: awake at the Jackson deal like a two for the
18:11
Speaker 1: price of one. And it's interesting. I was talking to
18:13
Speaker 1: one of the scouts today and they say, you know, hey,
18:16
Speaker 1: that's that's the you get spread it up because if
18:18
Speaker 1: you like Onstead, you know, a great player, But if
18:22
Speaker 1: that's your one free agent and he gets hurt, you know,
18:24
Speaker 1: you're held hostage to that money. You know, I mean,
18:27
Speaker 1: at least you can spread this thing out. And I
18:29
Speaker 1: but to me, the key thing is is players got
18:33
Speaker 1: to want to be here and signed those deals and
18:34
Speaker 1: they know that they got a shot to get to
18:36
Speaker 1: the big game. You know. So I think you know,
18:39
Speaker 1: you know, when you sign a check, you know, it's
18:41
Speaker 1: Katie Blackburn signon the check, but maybe in the notations
18:44
Speaker 1: it's thank you, Joe Burrow with the notations, you know,
18:47
Speaker 1: and you know in those little in those little notes,
18:50
Speaker 1: you know. So that's the big that's the big thing.
18:53
Speaker 1: Is that because if you had to if you were trying,
18:55
Speaker 1: and we and they've been here, and they've been in
18:57
Speaker 1: the point where they've had to had to kind to
19:00
Speaker 1: blow out big deals because they had to learn guys
19:03
Speaker 1: to get here, you know, and so that roster havn't
19:08
Speaker 1: having a good roster. Boy, that that helps you convince guys.
19:12
Speaker 1: There's no question the Borough factor is real when it
19:15
Speaker 1: comes to free agency. From everything I've heard in the
19:19
Speaker 1: run up to free agency, agents were calling the Bengals saying,
19:23
Speaker 1: my guy wants to play in Cincinnati. Yeah. The most
19:27
Speaker 1: popular guy in Indy was Steven Disipink, who who's the
19:30
Speaker 1: Bengals director of post scouting and is the point man
19:34
Speaker 1: and free agency. And I'm sure. He had to tell him, Look, guy, guys,
19:37
Speaker 1: we'll talk to you when we can talk to you.
19:39
Speaker 1: But you know, I'm sure that Monday they got a
19:43
Speaker 1: lot of Monday, the first day of free agency, they
19:45
Speaker 1: got a lot of just exactly what you're talking about.
19:48
Speaker 1: And I think that it's uh but not only is
19:51
Speaker 1: he is he a great player, but I think he's
19:53
Speaker 1: the kind of guy. Obviously you watch him play, you
19:56
Speaker 1: love the guy. You love the way the guy plays.
19:59
Speaker 1: I mean, who was the guy? Who was the guy
20:02
Speaker 1: I was talking to the one of the coaches, the
20:05
Speaker 1: new coach, the new linebackers coach. Yeah, he's got a
20:10
Speaker 1: ten year old kid, and he says, uh, well, buddy,
20:12
Speaker 1: we've got to cho you know, we're gonna either come
20:14
Speaker 1: back to Frisco or we're gonna go to Cincinnati. And uh,
20:18
Speaker 1: the kids said, boy, hey, Joe Burrow, that's great, let's go,
20:21
Speaker 1: you know. And he said and he said, it looks
20:23
Speaker 1: like we're gonna go to Cincinnati. And the kids said, great,
20:25
Speaker 1: Joe Burrow, let's you know, let's go. So, uh, you know,
20:30
Speaker 1: everybody knows Burrow. You know, it's it's it's it's great
20:32
Speaker 1: to have a great to have a player like that.
20:36
Speaker 1: So which of these free agent acquisitions is your favorite?
20:40
Speaker 1: You know, probably just because he came from New England,
20:42
Speaker 1: right to Carris, But uh uh I I do. I
20:47
Speaker 1: do like Harris in the sense that he's you know,
20:52
Speaker 1: he's been so well coached and lap touched the head
20:55
Speaker 1: I'm sure has touched on this. And I had the
20:56
Speaker 1: opportunity to talk to coach Skarneckia Scarneki. Yeah, Harris's line
21:02
Speaker 1: coach with the Patriots, who's one of us, probably the
21:05
Speaker 1: Jim McNally of his day, you know, the ultimate offensive
21:08
Speaker 1: line guru. And if you look at the you know,
21:11
Speaker 1: for years we've been looking at the Patriots lines and
21:13
Speaker 1: they've always kind of haven't dumped a lot of money
21:16
Speaker 1: in there. They always seem to trade guys when they
21:18
Speaker 1: get about ready to do a big deal. And because
21:21
Speaker 1: they know that coach Scarneki could really you know, the
21:23
Speaker 1: whole thing is about a unit. It's not the guy,
21:25
Speaker 1: you know. And so you know, Carris is a well
21:28
Speaker 1: well coached because if he comes out of that New
21:31
Speaker 1: England program and he's just got a great story. I mean,
21:33
Speaker 1: the guy I think he's related to seven. I think
21:36
Speaker 1: seven of his family members played in the Big Ten,
21:39
Speaker 1: and of course he's a third generation player, and he's
21:43
Speaker 1: you know, the the grand nephew of Alex Carris, one
21:48
Speaker 1: of the one of the great characters an NFL and
21:50
Speaker 1: TV history. You know, he's got a great story himself.
21:53
Speaker 1: So he's got a comes from a great, great, great
21:57
Speaker 1: family pedigree, well coached in the game, and you know
22:01
Speaker 1: got you know, get the perfect the perfect center. He's
22:04
Speaker 1: a smart guy. He's all in, he's all lineman, he's
22:07
Speaker 1: all offensive lineman. Right down the road in Indianapolis. He
22:10
Speaker 1: said he grew up an hour and forty five away
22:12
Speaker 1: from Paul Brown. So I think it's just, you know,
22:14
Speaker 1: it's a it's a great get for those guys. I mean,
22:17
Speaker 1: I mean, all of them are great. I mean, you know,
22:19
Speaker 1: all of them were great, were great gets. But Harris
22:23
Speaker 1: is an interesting guy, very charismatic guy, great sense of humor,
22:26
Speaker 1: and that versatility is huge. Obviously you're gonna have injuries
22:30
Speaker 1: at some point on the offensive line. If he has
22:32
Speaker 1: to kick over to guard, he can do it right now.
22:35
Speaker 1: Penciled into play center. Be interesting to see if Tyler
22:38
Speaker 1: Linderbaum were there at thirty one. I don't know if
22:40
Speaker 1: the Bengals have him graded as highly as some of
22:43
Speaker 1: these draft gurus, but if they do and he's there,
22:47
Speaker 1: Carris's ability to potentially play guard would be interesting. You know,
22:51
Speaker 1: that's draft discussion is still to come. I would say
22:54
Speaker 1: for me, I just can't believe how fortunate they were
22:57
Speaker 1: to land while l Collins. He's not even twenty nine
23:01
Speaker 1: years old, yet when healthy, he's proven to be one
23:04
Speaker 1: of the best right tackles in the NFL. He's going
23:07
Speaker 1: to be the tenth highest paid right tackle in the
23:11
Speaker 1: league if the reports of his contract are accurate. Three years,
23:15
Speaker 1: twenty one mill. There are five tackles in the NFL
23:19
Speaker 1: making more than seventeen million dollars a year, and the
23:21
Speaker 1: Bengals get a great one in his prime for seven
23:25
Speaker 1: million dollars a year. That is tremendous value for a
23:29
Speaker 1: player of his skill level and track record. Oh, I
23:33
Speaker 1: mean it's and I think you're right. I mean he's
23:35
Speaker 1: a favorite too, just because of he comes out of
23:38
Speaker 1: the Frank Pollock school. So not only do they get
23:42
Speaker 1: a guy that you just as you so well said Hardy,
23:45
Speaker 1: a top player at a bargain rate, but at a
23:48
Speaker 1: guy who knows he can walk in. He knows the
23:51
Speaker 1: scheme blind blindfold. He can walk in and he can
23:54
Speaker 1: play right tackle and in this scheme. And he's got
23:58
Speaker 1: a great reply. I mean, to me, what they did
24:00
Speaker 1: with those three guys, They not only you know, talent wise,
24:03
Speaker 1: but look how they change the culture of the room.
24:06
Speaker 1: You know, youve got uh cars has been to two
24:10
Speaker 1: Super Bowl Carris's two rings, Kappa has one ring, you know,
24:14
Speaker 1: and Collins has been was a part of one of
24:18
Speaker 1: the top offensive lines in the game and has worked
24:22
Speaker 1: with that worked with the offensive line coach who's a
24:26
Speaker 1: who's an own story himself, with his with his mindset,
24:29
Speaker 1: and so I you know, the Collins, the Colins signing,
24:35
Speaker 1: it's just I think it really is a is It
24:37
Speaker 1: tells you a it tells you how effective they were,
24:42
Speaker 1: what it's meant, what the Super Bowl appearance meant to
24:45
Speaker 1: them around the league. But it also shows you, I
24:48
Speaker 1: think what they got in Pollock and you know how
24:51
Speaker 1: they've really I mean, you know, just a week ago
24:53
Speaker 1: we were talking about how bad they were in the
24:56
Speaker 1: offensive line, and it was a punch line. They were
24:58
Speaker 1: a punch line, and it's all you about it. Suddenly
25:01
Speaker 1: they got to feel like they're at the very least,
25:04
Speaker 1: they're a hell of a lot better, no question about it.
25:07
Speaker 1: They've still got a few bucks to spend in free agency,
25:09
Speaker 1: not for high priced guys, but for you know, roster
25:12
Speaker 1: depth kind of guys. What positions do you think they're
25:15
Speaker 1: most likely to target. Well, they've clearly got a shore
25:19
Speaker 1: up cornerback, uh, you know, as they're going to be
25:22
Speaker 1: some good lineman there. But you know, at thirty one,
25:24
Speaker 1: if they can grab a good corner, I think that's
25:27
Speaker 1: gonna be a it's gonna be that's gonna be the
25:29
Speaker 1: position of priority because all they've got the three starters,
25:32
Speaker 1: so they need depth there. And I think also they're
25:36
Speaker 1: probably looking at you know, still looking for a backup tackle,
25:40
Speaker 1: probably looking for a rotation defensive tackle. Probably also looking
25:44
Speaker 1: for a rotational edge player. You know, but I do
25:47
Speaker 1: think they're I do think they're looking at defense. You know,
25:50
Speaker 1: they've also got to pick up some kind of a
25:52
Speaker 1: wide receiver, a wide receiver or two, because they've got
25:56
Speaker 1: they don't really don't have any depth. They really don't
25:59
Speaker 1: have any depth there. So you know, it's like the
26:03
Speaker 1: same thing a corner. The three, the three they got
26:05
Speaker 1: her really good, but you know they need some numbers
26:08
Speaker 1: behind it. But I would say, you know, cornerback, rotational
26:10
Speaker 1: defensive lineman, and wide receivers. I think that's what we're
26:14
Speaker 1: looking at now. After Larry Ogan Job's deal in Chicago
26:17
Speaker 1: fell through when he flunked his physical. Is a return
26:20
Speaker 1: to Cincinnati on a short term deal a possibility in
26:24
Speaker 1: your opinion? I think the jury's out for another month.
26:27
Speaker 1: I think they're gonna have to get a look at
26:28
Speaker 1: the foot. They're gonna have to see how the foot is.
26:30
Speaker 1: I think they're gonna try and get probably other players.
26:32
Speaker 1: Before that, Bengals made a strong, bold move for b J. Hill.
26:38
Speaker 1: I don't know how Larry's going to feel about that,
26:41
Speaker 1: but I think you know they would Larry Ogenjobi is
26:44
Speaker 1: as a guy, you won't find a better guy, a
26:48
Speaker 1: better locker room guy. And obviously his seven sacks showed
26:52
Speaker 1: you what a fine player is. So I gotta believe
26:56
Speaker 1: if he's healthy and he wants to come back, I
26:58
Speaker 1: gotta believe, you know, in a month, that that would
27:01
Speaker 1: be an option. But I don't know that they're gonna
27:03
Speaker 1: wait around, you know what I mean, and wait around
27:05
Speaker 1: for that. I think they get A. You know, they
27:07
Speaker 1: get a they obviously feel like I think they get
27:10
Speaker 1: the kind of fill in the back end of that
27:12
Speaker 1: depth shot him in the D line. I don't know
27:14
Speaker 1: if they can wait for Larry's foot or not. Let's
27:16
Speaker 1: talk safeties. Jesse Bates right now is on the franchise
27:20
Speaker 1: tag for twelve point nine mill for this upcoming season.
27:24
Speaker 1: They can continue to negotiate with him until July fifteenth
27:26
Speaker 1: to try to work out a long term deal or
27:28
Speaker 1: whatever reason. Safeties have not been breaking the bank this
27:33
Speaker 1: year in free agency. Marcus Williams goes from the Saints
27:36
Speaker 1: to the Ravens. He gets fourteen million dollars a year.
27:39
Speaker 1: Great money obviously, but not at the top of the
27:41
Speaker 1: pay scale for safety. Justin Reid goes from Houston to
27:44
Speaker 1: Kansas City. He gets ten and a half million a year. Now,
27:47
Speaker 1: I don't think either of those guys is as good
27:50
Speaker 1: as Jesse Bates. But is the fact that Safeties are
27:55
Speaker 1: not getting big bucks this free agency cycle for whatever
27:59
Speaker 1: reason and potentially going to help Cincinnati work out a
28:02
Speaker 1: deal with Jesse Banks. I think the Bengals are committed
28:05
Speaker 1: to getting something done with Jesse I really do, because
28:07
Speaker 1: he's such a good locker room guy, and he's such
28:09
Speaker 1: a good player. I mean, he's the whole package. He's
28:12
Speaker 1: a total package. The problem is they got to put that.
28:15
Speaker 1: They got to fit that package in with a contract
28:19
Speaker 1: for a franchise quarterback, and uh, where does a safety
28:24
Speaker 1: fit in that? And uh, you know that's that's I
28:28
Speaker 1: think that's the I think that's the a and I
28:32
Speaker 1: call it the specter of Burrow's contract because I think
28:35
Speaker 1: it was also you could see the shadow of it
28:38
Speaker 1: in this in this uh, in this free agency run,
28:42
Speaker 1: they went for the middle. You know, they basically went
28:44
Speaker 1: for the you know, there was a note there was
28:46
Speaker 1: not a Trey Hendrickson deal for them. You know, they
28:48
Speaker 1: were not going to make a Trey Hendrickson deal or
28:50
Speaker 1: a DJ Raider read a deal they really can't with
28:53
Speaker 1: with with with Burrow looming, where Jesse fits into that,
28:58
Speaker 1: I'm not sure. I know they want to get something
29:00
Speaker 1: with him, uh, you know, to lock him up because
29:04
Speaker 1: he's a guy they want um. But I just don't
29:07
Speaker 1: know if Jesse's looking at those other deals, you know,
29:09
Speaker 1: I mean I don't you know, like you said it,
29:12
Speaker 1: those two guys are not Jesse Bates. So you know.
29:16
Speaker 1: I think, you know, if if you're Bates and his
29:20
Speaker 1: agent and you're at this point, you know, I don't know,
29:24
Speaker 1: do you go for another cycle or or do you
29:26
Speaker 1: go for the security? You know, and it's a it's
29:29
Speaker 1: a tough you know. I'm glad, I'm not I don't
29:31
Speaker 1: have to I'm glad I don't have to answer that question.
29:33
Speaker 1: I'm glad get to observe. The Borough contract is going
29:37
Speaker 1: to be very interesting. The top quarterbacks in the NFL
29:40
Speaker 1: are all making more than forty million dollars a year.
29:43
Speaker 1: He certainly is going to make above forty million based
29:47
Speaker 1: on what he's done so far in his NFL career,
29:50
Speaker 1: but the length of some of these quarterback contracts varies wildly.
29:55
Speaker 1: Patrick Mahomes signed a ten year deal for nearly half
29:58
Speaker 1: a billion dollars. Deshaun Watson five years, all guaranteed two
30:04
Speaker 1: hundred and thirty million bucks, So that's forty six million
30:07
Speaker 1: a year. So Burrow's going to make a ton of money.
30:09
Speaker 1: The interesting thing to see will be how it structured.
30:13
Speaker 1: Can they spread it out like Kansas City did to
30:17
Speaker 1: lessen that the yearly cap impact? Do they want to
30:20
Speaker 1: reach a deal that long with a quarterback with anybody.
30:24
Speaker 1: It's you'd like to think that Joe's going to want
30:27
Speaker 1: to have good players around him so that you know,
30:29
Speaker 1: he'll want to get paid what he deserves. But I
30:33
Speaker 1: don't know. Maybe I'm giving him too much credit. I
30:35
Speaker 1: don't know, but I'd like to think that he will
30:37
Speaker 1: look at this is all right, how can I get
30:39
Speaker 1: above forty million dollars like the top quarterbacks get, but
30:42
Speaker 1: also structured in such a way that I can keep
30:45
Speaker 1: contending for Super Bowl titles. I don't think there's any
30:48
Speaker 1: doubt he'll say that. I have no doubt in my mind.
30:51
Speaker 1: And you know, the Proud family's been here before and
30:55
Speaker 1: they've done it. They made boomeras size and if I'm
30:57
Speaker 1: not mistaken, they me him the highest quarterback in the league.
31:01
Speaker 1: At one point, they made Casson Palmer the highest paid
31:04
Speaker 1: quarterback in the league. Casson's was an interesting structure there.
31:08
Speaker 1: I think it went when he signed it at the
31:10
Speaker 1: end of two thousand and five. It went to two
31:12
Speaker 1: thousand and fourteen. Now, of course he didn't see it
31:15
Speaker 1: all the way. He had to trade the man and
31:17
Speaker 1: they and they and they traded him. But you know,
31:21
Speaker 1: I think plus it's a different game now, it's a
31:24
Speaker 1: different league now than it was back then. But you know, uh,
31:28
Speaker 1: Bengals have been in this thing before. And I think Burrow,
31:32
Speaker 1: you know, I think they I think they know each
31:34
Speaker 1: other pretty well. Burrow and the Burrow and the Bengals.
31:37
Speaker 1: I think it's uh, they seem to be on the
31:39
Speaker 1: same mind frame. And I think, you know, uh, you know,
31:41
Speaker 1: we've watched Brady down through the years. I think Brady
31:44
Speaker 1: down through the years always took a team friendly deal
31:46
Speaker 1: and uh, you know, it's gonna be interesting to see,
31:49
Speaker 1: I think, you know, but anybody who know who has
31:52
Speaker 1: you know, I don't know Borrow all that well. I've
31:54
Speaker 1: talked to him a little bit. I've talked to a
31:56
Speaker 1: lot of people that do know. But I talked to
31:58
Speaker 1: Borrow enough to know that he wants to Oh yeah,
32:01
Speaker 1: so at whatever, at whatever that has to happen, well
32:05
Speaker 1: whatever that means financially, I you know, I don't know,
32:08
Speaker 1: because I'm not you know, I'm not an economist, which
32:11
Speaker 1: you have to be nowadays. But the figure this thing
32:14
Speaker 1: out or Paul Dayner, whichever comes first. But Da Dayner
32:19
Speaker 1: said this a long time ago. He thought that Borrow
32:21
Speaker 1: would be the first fifty million dollar dollar your quarterback.
32:25
Speaker 1: He may be run but as you said, how does
32:28
Speaker 1: he how do we structure it? And but I think
32:31
Speaker 1: there's been a pretty good roadmap for guys like Brady
32:34
Speaker 1: in the Brown family, which has you know, they've you know,
32:37
Speaker 1: negotiated a lot of these deals. So I would think
32:40
Speaker 1: it's going to fit fit the team, in the market
32:42
Speaker 1: and the man. Of course, in Brady's case, his supermodel
32:46
Speaker 1: Brazilian wife was making more money than than he was,
32:49
Speaker 1: so that that may have helped him settle for a
32:52
Speaker 1: few dollars less over the years. In any case, safeties
32:56
Speaker 1: didn't get a ton of money in free agency tight
32:59
Speaker 1: ends did. It seemed like anybody that played the position
33:02
Speaker 1: made serious bucks in this free agency cycle. And kudos
33:06
Speaker 1: to CJ Uzama for getting his twenty four mil over
33:09
Speaker 1: three years from the Jets. How big of a blow
33:11
Speaker 1: is that? I think, you know, obviously, even locker room,
33:14
Speaker 1: I think it's a shot. Anytime you lose twenty your leaders,
33:17
Speaker 1: Barrow loses one of his security guys, you know, I mean,
33:20
Speaker 1: he always seemed he seemed to know as CJ was.
33:23
Speaker 1: I was surprised CJ didn't move because I really thought
33:27
Speaker 1: that Burrow. When Barrow came, CJ's career took off people.
33:32
Speaker 1: I mean, he was Joe's first two games, if I'm
33:35
Speaker 1: not mistaken, he threw his first touchdown pass the CJ
33:37
Speaker 1: before in the same game CJ blew out as Achilles
33:40
Speaker 1: correct and then last year, you know, he was really
33:43
Speaker 1: a lot of big moments. So I was kind of
33:46
Speaker 1: surprised because I thought that was a real good, real
33:48
Speaker 1: good tanem. So I think that's a that's obviously going
33:51
Speaker 1: to be a blow I think in the room because
33:53
Speaker 1: he's such a good guy and an obviously a leader.
33:56
Speaker 1: But I think also the guy they shining and Hurst
34:01
Speaker 1: certainly has, you know, put up better numbers, and he
34:05
Speaker 1: did in his one year with Matt Ryan before UM,
34:11
Speaker 1: before the rookie, before Kyle Pitts arrived. You know, he
34:14
Speaker 1: put up a fifty catch season with Ryan and a
34:18
Speaker 1: bunch of touchdowns. So I think they came out of
34:21
Speaker 1: it pretty well on paper, you know. I mean, I
34:24
Speaker 1: I think, you know, obviously losing a guy with CJ's
34:27
Speaker 1: big personality, I think that you know, you lose something there.
34:32
Speaker 1: But I also think it's a Zach's done a good
34:34
Speaker 1: job where he's made sure that that that locker room
34:37
Speaker 1: there's enough big personalities in there that it could make
34:39
Speaker 1: up for You know that now you don't. It doesn't
34:42
Speaker 1: rely on one guy. You know, of course, the guy
34:44
Speaker 1: is Borrow. He's still got him. He's the he's the magnet.
34:48
Speaker 1: But you've also you've lost CJ. But you've lost, but
34:51
Speaker 1: you've also picked up three really good locker room guys
34:53
Speaker 1: in Kapa, Harrison, and Collins. And you know he's still
34:58
Speaker 1: get von Bell in the middle of the defense. Who's
35:00
Speaker 1: you know, I mean, you get you get leaders all
35:02
Speaker 1: up and down the thing. You know, that's why they
35:03
Speaker 1: went to the Super Bowl. So tough to lose. CJ.
35:06
Speaker 1: Great guy. I'd say, I always felt so uncomfortable talking
35:10
Speaker 1: to CJ. Because he's clearly the coolest man on the
35:14
Speaker 1: planet and I had no shot when everybody talking to
35:16
Speaker 1: I just felt like I was some like I felt
35:19
Speaker 1: like I was some old guy. You know that he
35:22
Speaker 1: was high. Nice to see it, but I don't, you know,
35:25
Speaker 1: I think he was. I think he was as nervous
35:27
Speaker 1: around me as I was around him. He was so
35:30
Speaker 1: cool and I was not. Yeah, he's he's actually the
35:33
Speaker 1: second coolest person to Borrow because in Burrow's case, it's
35:37
Speaker 1: so effortless. I mean, nobody has ever been cooler without
35:41
Speaker 1: trying to be cool than Joe Burrow. It's uncanny. Borrows
35:46
Speaker 1: so cool, he doesn't mind talking to me. He makes
35:48
Speaker 1: me feel cool. Borrow so cool. That's hard to do.
35:51
Speaker 1: That is hard to do. That. That might be the
35:54
Speaker 1: greatest accomplishment correct going that going to the AFC Championship
35:59
Speaker 1: Game is season. So what impact do you think free
36:04
Speaker 1: agency has had on the Bengals draft board. I just
36:06
Speaker 1: think it opens it up forty you might get drafted
36:09
Speaker 1: at thirty one. I mean, it just opens up the
36:11
Speaker 1: whole thing. You know, they could even you know, I
36:14
Speaker 1: mean probably you know, probably not the I don't know,
36:17
Speaker 1: I could see him drafting them. I mean, if if
36:19
Speaker 1: a wide receiver was sitting in at thirty, winning was
36:21
Speaker 1: clearly the best player they take. But I also think
36:25
Speaker 1: if they got that way at thirty one, they probably
36:27
Speaker 1: trade back. But this means, I mean, the fact that
36:30
Speaker 1: they were able to get those three offensive linemen. I
36:32
Speaker 1: just think it opens up the board form. I also
36:34
Speaker 1: think it's that's a good shot to get a good cornerback.
36:37
Speaker 1: You know, you can get a really good quarterback at
36:39
Speaker 1: thirty one. That's what I'm really That's what the first
36:41
Speaker 1: thing I thought about when Harrison Kappa game. I'm thinking,
36:45
Speaker 1: that's good. Now they can go Now they can resign Eli,
36:50
Speaker 1: and then they can go get a guy that maybe
36:51
Speaker 1: can you know, maybe can learn, a really good player
36:54
Speaker 1: that can learn under Eli and h Woosia. You know.
36:58
Speaker 1: So that's that's that's kind of what I'm But again,
37:02
Speaker 1: it'd be interesting to see what if. What if what
37:04
Speaker 1: if Higg You know, they got T Higgins with thirty three,
37:08
Speaker 1: what if there's a guy like him at thirty one?
37:10
Speaker 1: You know what there will be. I mean, there's so
37:13
Speaker 1: many wide receivers now in every draft that there's going
37:16
Speaker 1: to be a really good one. I find it unlikely
37:21
Speaker 1: that they would make that move, but I guess you
37:22
Speaker 1: can't rule it out. They were very fortunate last year
37:25
Speaker 1: that the Big three, the Cincinnati three way basically played
37:29
Speaker 1: every snap. The odds of that happening in back to
37:32
Speaker 1: back seasons, unfortunately, would be low. So you would like
37:36
Speaker 1: to have another really potent weapon at that position. If
37:40
Speaker 1: you could add one, you'd have to talk about it.
37:42
Speaker 1: That's all I have to say, you'd have to talk
37:44
Speaker 1: about it. But you know, they always say, you know,
37:48
Speaker 1: one of the things about drafting a receiver of a
37:50
Speaker 1: bucketting a guy like Borrow, was well, now you don't
37:52
Speaker 1: have to draft the receivers so high. Well maybe you do,
37:55
Speaker 1: because I mean maybe, I mean, you know, the t
37:57
Speaker 1: Higgins was in the second round, Jamal was in the
37:59
Speaker 1: first round. Did Tom Brady ever have back to back
38:02
Speaker 1: drafts like that for receivers? Probably not worked out very
38:06
Speaker 1: well though, you know, so who knows. But I also
38:09
Speaker 1: think that they're in a prime spot to trade back
38:11
Speaker 1: because you just mentioned it. The receiver and that's usually
38:15
Speaker 1: where there's kind of a run on receiver is usually
38:17
Speaker 1: typically historically right there, or it could be you know,
38:21
Speaker 1: if if see how these quarterbacks vet, but maybe it
38:25
Speaker 1: is that's maybe that's I think they're hoping that that's
38:27
Speaker 1: where the quarterback run comes and then you know who,
38:30
Speaker 1: you know, somebody's going to be somebody's always I mean,
38:33
Speaker 1: if they're frady to get up to get to a quarterback,
38:35
Speaker 1: they're desperate anyway, so that that would be interesting to
38:39
Speaker 1: see what kind of capital they could get there. That
38:42
Speaker 1: is the one thing about having the thirty first pick.
38:45
Speaker 1: There are teams that are going to be thinking, Okay,
38:48
Speaker 1: this quarterback is still on the board. If we get him,
38:51
Speaker 1: will control his rights for an extra year as a
38:54
Speaker 1: first round draft pick because of the fifth year option
38:57
Speaker 1: that we won't have if we take the same guy
38:59
Speaker 1: in the back and round. So that makes that a
39:02
Speaker 1: very appealing position to be And in terms of trading back.
39:06
Speaker 1: On the other hand, the Bengals, there will be somebody
39:09
Speaker 1: on their board that's, you know, twelfth, that's still there
39:13
Speaker 1: at thirty one for whatever reason, because all these boards
39:15
Speaker 1: are different, and then they do the same math where
39:18
Speaker 1: they think, well, huh, if we draft the guy, we
39:19
Speaker 1: get a fifth year as well. So it's there's some
39:22
Speaker 1: appeal in trading back obviously and getting extra picks, but
39:25
Speaker 1: there's also something to be said for controlling that guy
39:28
Speaker 1: for one more year. Yeah, I mean, I you know,
39:30
Speaker 1: when I that's why I think the quarterbacks go earlier.
39:33
Speaker 1: You know, the run probably going to be too late.
39:35
Speaker 1: You know, it's probably gonna be too late now now
39:37
Speaker 1: you know, ten years ago good spot for a quarterback
39:40
Speaker 1: run there, you know, but I think or before the
39:45
Speaker 1: fifth year option came in, But now it's probably going
39:49
Speaker 1: to be at seventeen eighteen nineteen, you know, I mean,
39:53
Speaker 1: and I don't know the kid from pitch. They're raving
39:55
Speaker 1: about the kid. But this happens every doesn't happen every draft,
39:58
Speaker 1: whatever quarterback. It is always a quarterback that has a
40:02
Speaker 1: you know, good combine, good pro day, and all of
40:05
Speaker 1: a sudden he goes from being just a guy. You're
40:07
Speaker 1: talking about it too. Well, he's gonna normally he's gonna
40:09
Speaker 1: be one of the you know, he's gonna. I guess
40:12
Speaker 1: they're talking about this kid in the top ten now,
40:14
Speaker 1: So does that? Does that? Does that ignight a run?
40:17
Speaker 1: You know? Does that Igknight to run earlier than you know?
40:20
Speaker 1: And that's just the way it is with quarterbacks now
40:22
Speaker 1: they're so coveted, and especially the Bengals are the best
40:26
Speaker 1: example of what a quarterback can do for you. So
40:30
Speaker 1: it's uh, probably they're probably the run is going to
40:34
Speaker 1: happen before thirty one, but there will be a good
40:36
Speaker 1: wide receiver there. You know. I think see Higgins might
40:38
Speaker 1: have been their seventieth player on the board or whatever,
40:43
Speaker 1: you know, which is why they which was why they
40:44
Speaker 1: went for him and not Logan Wolves. I mentioned earlier,
40:48
Speaker 1: Deshaun Watson's deal in Cleveland. It's all guaranteed. Nobody's ever
40:52
Speaker 1: given a player a guaranteed deal like that in the NFL.
40:55
Speaker 1: This is like a baseball contract instead of a football contract.
40:59
Speaker 1: Have there been any developments in free agency? Maybe that's
41:02
Speaker 1: one of them that you look at and think, huh,
41:05
Speaker 1: this could post problems for the Bengals down the road
41:07
Speaker 1: because of the precedent that it's setting. Yeah. I just
41:10
Speaker 1: we'll see how the Watson thing plays out. If that
41:12
Speaker 1: thing blows up, that's gonna be a damning thing for
41:16
Speaker 1: guaranteed money, you know what I mean. Now, if he
41:18
Speaker 1: takes him to the playoffs for the next two years, Oh,
41:21
Speaker 1: everybody's good, you know, because there was a note I
41:24
Speaker 1: think by Florio on Pro Football Park the other day
41:27
Speaker 1: the ramsification of the NFL a copycat league. So everybody's
41:32
Speaker 1: trading now, nobody's nobody wants to picks to trade them,
41:34
Speaker 1: although they've got to be trading with somebody. Somebody likes
41:37
Speaker 1: picks because they've been able to find teams. But I
41:40
Speaker 1: think Mike's point was it's a copycat league, but only
41:44
Speaker 1: if you win. So we'll see what happens with Watsonton Brown.
41:46
Speaker 1: I mean that thing could get ugly quick or he could,
41:49
Speaker 1: you know, he could, They could win the division, you know,
41:53
Speaker 1: And then I think, to me, that's where the fate
41:54
Speaker 1: of guaranteed money will be decided. But let's face it,
41:58
Speaker 1: I guess, I guess guaranteed money, you know, guaranteed money,
42:00
Speaker 1: I guess is coming is a comment at some point
42:03
Speaker 1: in football. I don't know. I think it's an interesting
42:06
Speaker 1: It's just a different game of baseball very much so.
42:09
Speaker 1: I think one thing that's happened that would be a
42:11
Speaker 1: big concern in my opinion for the Bengals would be
42:14
Speaker 1: the deals that some of these wide receivers are getting.
42:17
Speaker 1: I mean, Tyree Hill thirty million dollars a year, Davante
42:19
Speaker 1: Adams twenty eight million dollars a year. Prior to this
42:23
Speaker 1: wave of free agency, there was only one wide receiver
42:26
Speaker 1: making more than roughly twenty million a year, and that
42:29
Speaker 1: was DeAndre Hopkins twenty seven point two five and he
42:32
Speaker 1: only had a two year deal. The other top receivers
42:35
Speaker 1: were all right around twenty Keenan, Allen, Marii Cooper, Chris
42:40
Speaker 1: Godwin got twenty million a year Mike Williams got twenty
42:42
Speaker 1: million a year this year in free agency. So instead
42:45
Speaker 1: of what normally happens where these the top of this
42:48
Speaker 1: pay scale rises incrementally from year to year, this was
42:52
Speaker 1: like the forty inch vertical at the combine, where suddenly
42:57
Speaker 1: the pay scale for the top wide receivers just jumped
43:00
Speaker 1: way way up. And the Bengals obviously have two young
43:03
Speaker 1: ones that they would like to pay and like to
43:05
Speaker 1: keep to go with the franchise quarterback correct, So it
43:11
Speaker 1: would strike me as being virtually impossible, wouldn't it. But
43:14
Speaker 1: maybe they can find a way. I mean, you know, um,
43:18
Speaker 1: it's yeah, that I think that's that that's eye opening.
43:23
Speaker 1: I think also I think also the other thing is
43:30
Speaker 1: look at what's look at how look at how the
43:33
Speaker 1: quarterbacks are just I mean, I don't know, you know,
43:35
Speaker 1: Joe might make sixty million, I don't know. I mean
43:38
Speaker 1: the way look at the Watson deal, the the just
43:41
Speaker 1: I mean, I mean the lengths the teams are going
43:45
Speaker 1: to find that guy. And it just seems like they
43:48
Speaker 1: get to be fewer and fewer quarterbacks, you know, I mean,
43:52
Speaker 1: they just get to be I mean, there's thirty two
43:54
Speaker 1: teams and there just doesn't seem to be enough, and
43:56
Speaker 1: it seems that dwindle by the year. And I don't
44:01
Speaker 1: want to because everybody and I don't know why, because
44:03
Speaker 1: everybody's playing seven on seven from from high school to college,
44:07
Speaker 1: you know, I mean, nobody hands off anymore. Everybody should
44:10
Speaker 1: be should be expert passers. Yeah, well, the y is
44:15
Speaker 1: the jump from college to the NFL is that significant.
44:20
Speaker 1: It's so much more complicated. The athletes are so much better.
44:23
Speaker 1: If you know, if you're a great college quarterback, it
44:27
Speaker 1: doesn't necessarily mean anything when you get to the NFL.
44:30
Speaker 1: So when you find one like Joe Burrow, you make
44:33
Speaker 1: sure that you keep them and you keep trying. And
44:36
Speaker 1: if you can't get Burrow, you know, it sets you
44:39
Speaker 1: back for you know, I mean, it takes down coaches,
44:43
Speaker 1: It takes down general managers, it takes down players if
44:47
Speaker 1: you don't have one. I mean, you know, I mean Chicago,
44:49
Speaker 1: look at look at Chicago, you know, say what you
44:53
Speaker 1: you know, people taking shots at the Bengals Horty, but
44:57
Speaker 1: they've always had a quarterback. It seems like, I mean
44:59
Speaker 1: they're a stretched there at the turn of the century. Um,
45:03
Speaker 1: you know, well, in the nineties when when they drafted
45:06
Speaker 1: Clinger and moved away from Boomer and they couldn't get
45:11
Speaker 1: a figure out for a decade, you know, and that
45:13
Speaker 1: was and that and that really cost him, That really
45:16
Speaker 1: cost him. But there is something like the Browns having
45:18
Speaker 1: figured it out for three decades, you know, and some
45:23
Speaker 1: franchises like the Falcons, they just really hit it with
45:27
Speaker 1: Matt Ryan just that, you know. But the Bengals have
45:29
Speaker 1: had down through the years, They've always pretty much always
45:32
Speaker 1: had a a If he's not a Pro Bowl quarterback,
45:37
Speaker 1: he's close. And Andy was on that. You know, people
45:40
Speaker 1: people up to pick shots at Andy, but he won
45:42
Speaker 1: games and he was went to a couple of Pro Bowls.
45:44
Speaker 1: So you know, to me, it's it's it's it's years
45:49
Speaker 1: like this way you say we are then, you know,
45:53
Speaker 1: couldn't they have a quarterback? Let's worry about the rest.
45:57
Speaker 1: That's definitely a great position to be in. Final question
46:00
Speaker 1: for you, I appreciate your time. You are a dogged reporter.
46:04
Speaker 1: Have you found out what kind of crackers and cupcakes
46:08
Speaker 1: Joe Burrow served at his house last Friday? I have
46:12
Speaker 1: failed on that um And it's a great question, but
46:17
Speaker 1: I don't know, you know, I was thinking about calling
46:21
Speaker 1: the alignment, but do you think they'd really know? And I,
46:24
Speaker 1: you know, could you imagine Ted Carres said, oh, yeah,
46:27
Speaker 1: they were? And because I was, it's interesting you should
46:30
Speaker 1: ask me that, Hordy, because I was thinking I'd love
46:33
Speaker 1: to know that. But how would I ask? You know,
46:35
Speaker 1: I might be you know, if I asked that, if
46:38
Speaker 1: Ted Carress, he might never talk to you again. You know,
46:41
Speaker 1: I mean, so you know, hey, what can you know?
46:44
Speaker 1: But he who knows no one Teddy might have said, oh, yeah,
46:46
Speaker 1: we had like kids. I love trikes. That's why I
46:49
Speaker 1: signed you know cheese, it's you know, and uh and
46:53
Speaker 1: the cupcakes thing kind of threw me. I don't know
46:55
Speaker 1: that was I want to know what bakery they might
46:58
Speaker 1: have kept that from. That would have been a he
47:00
Speaker 1: could have been a busking guy, maybe servates or you know,
47:03
Speaker 1: one of the more like gourmet bakeries that that strictly
47:07
Speaker 1: makes cupcakes. It's all possible. Joe's got good taste. I
47:11
Speaker 1: just had this vision of him like where, you know,
47:13
Speaker 1: like Joe with his glasses, leaning leaning down and pulling
47:18
Speaker 1: him out of the stove. But I don't think that.
47:20
Speaker 1: I don't think. I don't think that. I don't think
47:23
Speaker 1: that happened. You know, he's cool, but he's not. He's cool,
47:26
Speaker 1: but you know that that's why he's cool. I guess
47:28
Speaker 1: he probably probably dropped him. You know, he probably ordered
47:32
Speaker 1: out and dropped in sixty. But Hoarding, the next time
47:35
Speaker 1: you talk to me, I hope to have an answer
47:37
Speaker 1: for that. Well, you won't have to try to get it,
47:40
Speaker 1: because soon he'll have a cupcake endorsement deal and then
47:44
Speaker 1: then we'll know where he gets where he gets his cupcakes.
47:49
Speaker 1: You got it, well, I hoarding. I just when I
47:51
Speaker 1: heard crackers, of course, my my, my eyes, my ears
47:54
Speaker 1: pricked up because I love crackers. In fact, in fact,
47:57
Speaker 1: Jack Jack Brenning, the old great those purpulations man said
48:02
Speaker 1: texting me, he goes, I can't believe Borrow didn't have
48:05
Speaker 1: you over for crackers because uh PJ and Jack always
48:09
Speaker 1: would put those. Scott would always put the chili crackers
48:14
Speaker 1: from you know, Bings gold Star. You know, because we
48:17
Speaker 1: went there and he put them in that he blowed
48:20
Speaker 1: him up and put him in my mailbox because he
48:22
Speaker 1: knows how much I'd love crackers. So maybe he had that,
48:25
Speaker 1: Maybe he had a maybe he had chili Crackers. Cars
48:29
Speaker 1: did such a great Carris did such a great job
48:31
Speaker 1: on Bengals dot com with his uh eating chili. He
48:35
Speaker 1: and Kappa that maybe they brought them over. We will
48:39
Speaker 1: have to find out, butch, this has been fun. As always,
48:42
Speaker 1: I appreciate your time. Look forward to seeing you in
48:45
Speaker 1: person sometime soon. Always great talking to the best Ohio
48:49
Speaker 1: broadcaster and Syracuse legend. Thank you very much, Morty. That's
48:54
Speaker 1: going to do it for this episode of the Bengals
48:56
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